INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
called my parents [before the incursion]
the time I was trying to assess the situation and see if I could go there, it became clear that leaving the [occupied] area was still an
herself, Irina also said that volunteers and soldiers could not evacuate them because their village was one of the closest settlements to
residents have also been looking for their loved ones who remain in territory taken by Ukrainian forces.What is happening in occupied
the early days of their August incursion, Ukrainian forces advanced up to 35 kilometers into the Kursk region
5, Russian forces had regained about 57% of this area, or roughly 655 square kilometers, according to the United States -based Institute for
beside a sign that reads "There are civilians in the basement, no military" in Sudzha, Kursk region.Yan Dobronosov / AFPKursk residents who
that Ukrainian troops treated them well, provided food supplies and ensured access to essential medicines
A video published by Ukrainian TRO Media, which films in Kursk, also shows Ukrainian forces distributing bread, tea and matches to
Some of them report that their homes had been destroyed, forcing them to stay with relatives, friends or in a boarding school in Sudzha
where dozens of civilians were sheltering
The school was struck this month, with Russia and Kyiv trading blame for the attack.While most of those filmed by Ukraine send messages to
identified himself as Sudzha resident Anatoly Golovnev told a Ukrainian film crew.All of the people shown in these videos are individuals
paints a different picture of the reality under Ukrainian control.In a video recorded by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, two women
food.Relatives of those trapped in Ukrainian-held areas said the only way to reach them was through Ukrainian soldiers, making it impossible
to get an unbiased account of the situation for civilians from either side.Ukraine this month launched a new series of assaults in Kursk,
defending the incursion as a "very important operation" in possible negotiations with Moscow
family countsThere is no independently verified information on the number of Kursk residents who remain trapped in the territory taken by
Ukraine.In early January, Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova released a list of 517 Kursk region residents who had gone
idea how this list was compiled or why it was published
reports of at least 1,174 missing persons, 240 of whom were found, he said.Displaced people are seen in a center for displaced people
following Ukraine's Kursk region offensive.Tatyana Makeyeva / AFPKursk authorities have also launched a registry for residents of border
spokesman for Ukraine's army operating in Kursk told AFP this month that over 1,500 Russians were still living in areas under Ukraine's
control.At the same time, relatives of the missing have estimated that as many as 3,000 people could be trapped in occupied areas.They also
medical care, no medicine supplies, no proper nutrition
channels, which undoubtedly cannot take place in a public setting."At least 46 civilians made their way back to Russia in November
Around 100 civilians were reportedly evacuated to the Ukrainian city of Sumy, relatives told the independent news outlet Agentstvo this
week.In the meantime, relatives of those trapped in occupied areas launched a social media campaign appealing for help in rescuing their
loved ones using the hashtag #YaMySudzha (I Am/We Are Sudzha).Irina said Kursk feels left behind by both Russian authorities and fellow
